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Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi

ACTIVITY REPORT 2015 16th Annual General Meeting

29 March 2016

ACTIVITY REPORT 2015 Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi

16th Annual General Meeting

Tuesday, 29 March 2016

SBC Activity Report 2015 Page 1 I 23

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ................................................................................................2

STRUCTURE OF THE SWISS BUSINESS COUNCIL ABU DHABI .....................................3

SPONSORSHIP ...............................................................................................................5

MEMBERSHIP .................................................................................................................6

EVENTS ...........................................................................................................................7

MARKETING ............................................................................................................... 20

COOPERATION BETWEEN THE SWISS EMBASSY, SWISS BUSINESS HUB AND SWISS

BUSINESS COUNCIL DUBAI ....................................................................................... 21

ADVISORY BOARD MESSAGE .................................................................................. 21

ELECTION OF PRESIDENT ........................................................................................... 22





PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Members, Sponsors and Friends of the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi,

To look back on a successful year, please have a look through our 2015 Activity Report,

which shows you some highlights, activities and beautiful events that we shared together.

We highly encourage our members to contact us for a more individualized cooperation that

will deliver maximum benefits to your SBC membership. Our actions find their legitimacy and

recognition primarily owing to all the members who support us and participate in our

projects.

If you have any suggestions or comments or wish to send us feedback on how to improve our

services or if you have any proposals on how to make your membership more valuable, we

would be delighted to hear from you. We encourage our members towards more active

involvement and participation to keep the SBC relevant to you and your business. This means

you could suggest topics for consideration directly related to your specific business or

company, to leverage experts or business partners from your company visiting the UAE or

other networking and facilitation means that could be of value to the entire membership of

the SBC.

We are looking at a year filled with both new and well tried-out projects and events and we

are equipped with the dynamism and vigor to carry them out. We will continue to be at your

side to support your projects and foster exchanges between Switzerland and the United Arab

Emirates and it would be a great pleasure to welcome you in one of our upcoming events

soon.

Please do have a look at our sponsoring packages. We rely on sponsors to achieve our goals

and they are essential in helping our events come to life. If the packages are not within your

budget or requirements, please let us know and we will be more than happy to adjust them

to your individual needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us at

[email protected].

On behalf of the Executive Committee and the entire SBC Abu Dhabi team, I thank you

wholeheartedly for your trust and support and wish all of you a continuously successful and

prosperous 2016!

Sincerely yours,

Jean-Marc Suter

mailto:[email protected]





STRUCTURE OF THE SWISS BUSINESS COUNCIL ABU DHABI

The Executive Committee consists of a President and a Vice President both elected by the

General Membership for a two-(2)-year tenure. The incumbent President is serving his 2nd year

term. At the next AGM on 29 March 2016, (re)-elections for the position as President will be

held.

Both the President and Vice President appoint other Executive Committee members, a

minimum of two (2) and a maximum of five (5). Any new Executive Committee member

needs to be approved by the entire Executive Committee and a decision is always taken

together as a team.

The members of the Executive Committee are:

1. Mr. Jean-Marc Suter, Managing Director, Gonet & Cie and President of the

SBC Abu Dhabi;

2. Dr. B.R. Shetty, Managing Director and CEO, NMC Health and Vice President

SBC Abu Dhabi;

3. Mrs. Sue Baumgartner, Managing Partner, Xperts in Business Activation;

4. Mrs. Susan Shawwa Khalil, Managing Partner, Swisslinx;

5. Mr. Nadeem Jerome Naqui, CFA, Managing Partner, Markab Advisory.

The ex-officio members of the Executive Committee are:

1. Mr. Adrian Bless, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Switzerland in the United

Arab Emirates;

2. Mrs. Charoline Engel, Executive Director of the SBC Abu Dhabi;

3. HE Mr. Chris Watts, Director of the Swiss Business Hub GCC and General Consul

of Switzerland in Dubai;

4. HE Mrs. Maya Tissafi, Swiss Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.

In order to structure the SBC Abu Dhabi Executive Committee more effectively and to have

a closer involvement of the Executive Committee members in overseeing the day-to-day

business of the SBC and to provide support and a point of contact for the Executive Director

to brainstorm and ask for support outside of the monthly Executive Committee meetings, we

have introduced “Heads” for specific subcommittees. They are the following:

1. Head of Events: Charoline Engel

2. Head of Communications: Sue Baumgartner

3. Head of Finance: Alexander Matthey

4. Head of Business Development: Nadeem Naqui

5. Head of Membership: Susan Shawwa Khalil

Their role is to assist the Executive Director in their respective field of expertise. In the Finance

section it is to ensure that a monthly report can be presented at each Executive Committee

meeting in a simple but informative way.

Additionally, the Advisory Board advises and makes recommendations to the Executive

Committee; its members are elected by the General Membership. The Advisory Board can

have a minimum of three (3) members and a maximum of six (6) members. Currently we

have four (4) members with two (2) vacant seats.





The members of the elected Advisory Board are:

1. Mrs. Jacqueline Duvoisin, Region Director MEA, Turkey, Iran & Central Asia,

Clinical Solutions Elsevier;

2. Mrs. Maissa Fattal, Founder and CEO, Ibtisama;

3. Mr. Jean-Claude Salamin, Hospital Consultant;

4. Mr. Alexander Matthey, Corporate Program Management Centre of

Excellence Manager, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation.

We would like to sincerely thank Mrs. Claudine Maager, Managing Partner, Swisslinx, who was

until now a member of the Advisory Board but decided to step down since she is no longer

living in the UAE.

The team works very well together and I am confident that we will have a successful 2016. I

would like to thank the entire team of the Executive Committee and the Advisory Board for

their commitment and the precious time they devote to the SBC Abu Dhabi.

Environmental Group: I am pleased to announce the formation of the new Environmental

Group initated by the SBC Dubai. The first step has been the creation of a Steering

Committee composed of:

1. Mr. Jürg Petermann, Swiss Federal Office for the Environment FOEN (also the Head of

the Steering Committee)

2. Dr. Franco Vigliotti, EPFL Middle East

3. Mr. Satish N. Adurkar, Energy Automation DMCC

4. Mr. Nadeem Jerome Naqui, Markab Advisory and Member of the SBC Abu Dhabi

5. Mr. Thomas Pohl, Swiss Business Hub Middle East

Members in the Environment industry will be invited in April to learn more about the new

initiative and discuss the new objectives and program.

I would also like to highlight the good relations we have with the Swiss Embassy and the Swiss

Business Hub. We wish to continue our cooperation with them and see where we can closely

collaborate in joint activities when Swiss companies and delegations visit the UAE and have

the opportunity to co-organize events where SBC members are invited and can meet with

official delegations.

Special thanks to all our members for the support throughout the years, especially to our

Support Members who, with their increased contribution and partnership, ensure that the SBC

can fulfill its growth initiatives and execute plans for the future:

Landqart AG - www.landqart.com

NBAD Private Bank (Suisse) SA - www.nbad.com/en-ch

Ras Al Khaimah Free Trade Zone Authority – www.rakftz.com

UBS - www.ubs.com/ae

http://www.landqart.com/

http://www.nbad.com/en-ch

http://www.rakftz.com/

http://www.ubs.com/ae





SPONSORSHIP

I would like to remind you that unlike some other business councils, our government does not

subsidize us. Our survival relies entirely on the subscriptions paid by the members and

sponsorships! We therefore heartily thank once more all the members and the sponsors that

supported us in 2015.

Please do not forget that our signature events, the Swiss Spring Festival and the Swiss

Christmas Market, as well as other recurring and popular events, all require sponsors. If you or

your organization is interested in sponsoring the SBC Abu Dhabi, please do not hesitate to get

in touch with us for more information. We will be more than happy to arrange sponsorships

that suit the requirements of individual companies and individuals aside from our regular

Sponsorship packages. Every sponsor level is important and no contribution is too small. We

cordially invite you to become a part of the SBC Abu Dhabi. Please contact us anytime at

your convenience.

You could avail of the sponsorship opportunities we have for individuals and companies who

would like to support the SBC Abu Dhabi either financially or through the donation of goods

or services. Sponsorship provides public recognition benefits to the individual or company via

the SBC website and selected events.

Acquiring sponsorship for our events has become increasingly difficult over the past few

years and very special thanks go out to the following companies for their generous support in

terms of sponsorship especially concerning our major events – the Swiss Spring Festival and

the Swiss Christmas Market. Without their contribution and support, we would not be able to

organize the said events:

Etihad Airways – Corporate Member, official Airline Partner of the SBC Abu Dhabi

supporting us with flight tickets for Swiss musicians and raffle prizes every year;

Nestlé Middle East – Associated Partner at the Swiss Christmas Market 2015;

UBS – Gold Sponsor;

Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli – Swiss Maître Chocolatier – supporting us with

Swiss chocolate treats during the year for meetings and events plus sponsorship;

Other Sponsors:

Al Masaood Automobiles, City Pharmacy, Dots&Links Skills Development Centre,

Etihad Cargo, Fracht AG, Habib Bank AG Zurich, Kipina, nmc Healthcare, Orient

Irrigation Service, Pilatus.

Please accept our sincere thanks for your involvement and we look forward to a continued

fruitful cooperation between you and the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi in the future.





MEMBERSHIP

Special thanks go to all our members for their dedication, support and cooperation

throughout the years! Your membership is highly important to us. Thank you for renewing your

membership regularly and for your confidence and trust. We do our very best but there is

always room for improvement and we are always available to your suggestions!

Member Count:

At the AGM in 2006 the SBC counted 88 members;



At the AGM in 2009, the SBC counted 133 members;






For the year 2015, the SBC counted 123 members, incl. joint memberships with the SBC Dubai

and Non-Residents.

Break-up of Member Categories in 2015:

2 Support Members

8 Joint Support Members (2 Abu Dhabi, 6 Dubai)

24 Corporate Members

38 Joint Corporate Members (9 Abu Dhabi, 29 Dubai)

16 Non-resident Members (5 Abu Dhabi, 11 Dubai) Non-Residents belong automatically to both Councils.

3 Professional Members

5 Joint Professional Members (3 Abu Dhabi, 2 Dubai)

24 Social Members

3 Joint Social Members (0 Abu Dhabi, 3 Dubai)

123 Total Member count 2015

A focus will certainly be to increase the membership base and we are in the process of

renewing the memberships for 2016. So far we have counted 119 members but we are still

awaiting renewal notices.

Our Executive Director, Mrs. Charoline Engel and the Executive Committee members are

glad to be at your disposal to help you to establish links and facilitate the exchange of

communication. Join us for our monthly “Business After Hours” and other events planned

throughout the year.





EVENTS

The Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi is a lively and stimulating forum of diverse interests and

has a variety of business as well as social events to offer. Working closely with the Swiss

Embassy, we organize interesting and attractive business and social get-togethers and invite

leading guest speakers to talk on selected topics. All our events are open to members and

invited guests.

I know that everybody in Abu Dhabi is busy and we do not really have the time to go to all

the events and functions. However, the SBC is a platform created especially for you so

please take the time to attend as many events as possible so that you can benefit fully from

your membership. The networking in these meetings and gatherings is always worthwhile, it is

important to make the effort to benefit the most from it.

One of the main objectives of the SBC Abu Dhabi is to support commercial and personal

relationships amongst its members, to provide a platform for high profile networking and

discussion of business opportunities and to promote economic, social and cultural relations

between the UAE and Switzerland. In particular, with events like the monthly gathering and

the annually recurring Swiss Spring Festival and Swiss Christmas Market, we would like to

strengthen the bond between the Swiss community and the UAE.

Please let us know if you have any high profile people visiting Abu Dhabi so that we can

organize a business event accordingly.

Charity

A consistent favorite among regular patrons at the annual Swiss Christmas Market are the

Swiss chocolate treats from Lindt & Sprüngli, Swiss Maître chocolatier and confectionery, and

its popular Chocolate Kitchen. All proceeds from the Swiss Christmas Market stands were

doubled by the Swiss Business Council and AED 10’000.00 were donated to the “Special Care

Centre” Abu Dhabi, a leading charity organization. In keeping with the philosophy of the

event, the Special Care Centre exhibited art drawings by the children under their care.

A special thank you goes to Sue Baumgartner, Xperts, and Susan Shawwa Khalil, Swisslinx,

both members of the Executive Committee, who once again devoted their time to work

together for the Swiss Christmas Market. Without their help, the SBC Abu Dhabi would not be

able to organize the highly popular and successful Swiss Christmas Market. The event involves

massive efforts and jointly, the two ladies work hand in hand to organize it every year. The

SBC relies on supporters and helpers and I greatly appreciate it that they devote their time,

energy and enthusiasm to make it happen!

The same goes for the Swiss Spring Festival, where the SBC relies on helpers for assistance in

making it a great experience for all attendees and guests. Last year, we had our Executive

Committee members at the entrance selling entrance tickets along with the support of the

Embassy staff and it was the wonderful teamwork and willingness to help that generated a

great atmosphere and this is truly much appreciated. I hope we can count on you and new

helpers also in the years to come!





Events during 2015

The SBC “Business After Hours” are held once a month and are a great opportunity for our

members and their associates to meet both long-standing and new members alike, visitors,

compatriots as well as the Swiss Community of Abu Dhabi and friends of Switzerland, for a

casual chat. Everybody is most welcome to bring business partners and colleagues as well as

friends along. It is an excellent opportunity to make and maintain valuable contact with other

people working in Abu Dhabi.

We always see new faces at this event and it is a great pleasure to see many Swiss

newcomers attending those evenings! Be sure to always have a pocketful of business cards

with you!

The 2015 "Business After Hours" were held consecutively at the Cristal Bar @ Millennium Corniche,

the Retreat Bar @ the Westin, the Park Bar @ Park Hyatt Hotel and Villas, Ray's Bar @ Jumeirah at

Etihad Towers, Market Kitchen @ Le Royal Meridian, Catch Rooftop Restaurant @ St. Regis Corniche,

and Byblos Sur Mer @ InterContinental Hotel. We change the venue every month in order to

visit every member-hotel. Do come and join us in the forthcoming “after work sessions”!

To further increase the networking opportunities for our members and to benefit from

synergies, the SBC has been teaming-up successfully with other Business Councils to organize

joint business get-togethers and will continue to do so in the future.

ENERGY UPDATE WITH DAVE SCOTT

Wednesday, 25 March 2015 – Intercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi

Against the backdrop of tumbling oil prices, business in the UAE must face a new reality,

reduce spending and consider alternative solutions for growth. Energy expert, Dave Scott

provided analysis on the current state of the energy sector, the outlook for future oil prices

and the potential economic impact on the UAE and broader GCC.

Mr. Scott, an authority on energy policy and comparative energy generation technologies, is

the Advisor to the Chairman of Economic and Energy Affairs at the Executive Affairs

Authority. In this role he provides strategic economic and energy policy advice to the

chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Executive Council and broader Abu Dhabi Government.

Previously, Mr. Scott was a regional Vice President for Occidental Petroleum Corp, a fortune

500 US oil and gas company. Prior to that, he served within the US Government in numerous

capacities including being the Director for the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa at the U.S.

National Security Council.

This event was organized by the Australian Business Group, in association with AmCham Abu

Dhabi, British Business Group, BeNeLux Business Council, Canadian Business Council, French

Business Group, Lebanese Business Council and the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi.





SWISS SPRING FESTIVAL IN ABU DHABI

Friday, 21 March 2015 – Hilton Hotel Abu Dhabi, Hiltonia Beach Garden

Organized by the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland

in the United Arab Emirates the celebration of the Swiss Spring Festival once again took place in an

elegant alfresco setting, at the Hiltonia Gardens, Abu Dhabi Hilton Hotel, with exquisite Swiss food

specialties, such as Raclette, Kalbsbratwurst and again exclusively in the UAE for our guests only, the

beloved Swiss soft drink “Rivella” that had been flown in from Switzerland especially for the cheerful

occasion.

The Swiss Spring Festival is one of the highlights in the events calendar of the Swiss Business Council in

Abu Dhabi. For many years, this successful event has brought together the various communities of

Abu Dhabi – it builds relationships among the Swiss and gives the local community an occasion to

enjoy Swiss atmosphere and hospitality.

Musical entertainment throughout the evening was provided by special guest and renowned Swiss

“Schlagerstar” Yasmine-Mélanie (winner of the prestigious “Prix Walo”), who for this year’s Swiss

Spring Festival edition was accompanied by her sister Chanelle, and Radio 1 DJ Danny C. as well as

a variety of other attractions for everyone, including our young guests.

Our young guests enjoyed the Lindt kids’ area with fun games, including face painting, a clown with

twisting balloons, a magic show and a huge jumping castle.

Exciting raffle draw: All the guests had the chance to enter an exclusive raffle draw and win

fabulous prizes. First prize consisted of two tickets from Abu Dhabi to Zurich on Etihad Pearl Business

Class, plus two nights in a Junior Suite including Garden breakfast for two persons at the Dolder

Grand Hotel, Zürich, two nights for two persons at the Steigenberger Bellerive Au Lac, Zürich and two

nights in a deluxe room including breakfast buffet at the Beau-Rivage, Genève. We did see happy

faces of winners at the end of the evening.

Around 150 guests enjoyed this memorable affair with family, friends and business partners to

celebrate a truly unique festival.

We would like to thank this year’s sponsors who made this event possible and with their

partnership assure the continuation of the Swiss Christmas Market’s successful story:

Official Airline Partner: Etihad Airways and Etihad Cargo

Gold Sponsor: UBS

Silver Sponsor: Lindt & Sprüngli, Nestlé Middle East

Event Partner: Cleverworx Marketing Solutions, Fracht AG, Rivella

Bronze Sponsor: Al Masaood Automobiles, City Pharmacy, Habib Bank AG Zurich, Pilatus





15TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

Tuesday, 31 March 2015 – Intercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, Ballroom;

The AGM gives SBC members the opportunity to be actively involved in Council matters, to share

opinions and views on the direction the Council should proceed as well as interact with other

members via networking. At the same time, it provides an update of its past activities and future

objectives.

Support, Corporate and Professional Members elected the new SBC Abu Dhabi Vice President, Dr.

B. R. Shetty – NMC Healthcare.





SWISS EASTER BRUNCH

Saturday, 11 April 2015 – Intercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi, Marina Garden

The beautiful Marina Garden at the Intercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi was the perfect setting to

enjoy a sumptuous Swiss Specialties Buffet with delicacies such as Beef Zurichoise and

Älplermagronen – Swiss Alpine Herdsman Macaroni, and much more.

Our young guests had fun at the Easter-kids’ corner, searched and found hard-boiled eggs that

they could decorate. And of course all the kids hunted the hidden Lindt chocolate bunnies!

Swiss Easter Tradition was a challenge not only for the young but also for all our guests: First, you and

an opponent each take a hard-boiled egg. Each person holds the egg - pointy end to pointy end,

round side to round side - and hit them together. The person with the undamaged egg at the end

was rewarded with a one-kilo Lindt Chocolate Bunny or an Entertainer Abu Dhabi as a mobile app.

After that, the eggs were, of course, eaten!

EXPERT PANEL DISCUSSION: “Apocalypse of offshore. Rise of midshore. The future of overseas

businesses and investments.”

Tuesday, 28 April 2015 – Fairmont Bab Al Bahr

The Austrian Business Council and the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi invited members and guests

to an exclusive Panel Discussion with experts of the financial industry:

Mr. Thomas Hanzely, Co-Author of the book “Offshore Apocalypse – The Collapse of the Tax

Haven Industry”; Managing Director of BBD Enterprises;

Dr. Gordian Gaeta, Financial Adviser to investment funds and international business;

Mr. Markus Tischelmayer, Banker with in-depth knowledge of the international banking industry.

The lecture was followed by a Q&A session and a networking reception.





SHARJAH ART TOUR. Sharjah Biennial 12: the past, the present, the possible

Saturday, 9 May 2015 – Daytrip to Sharjah

The Swiss Business Council, together with SBC member Swiss Art Gate UAE and the Austrian Business

Council, organized an exclusive day-trip to the Sharjah Biennial 12, allowing members insights into

the fascinating Art scene happening within the United Arab Emirates.

UPDATE ABU DHABI VISION 2030

Tuesday, 26 May 2016 – Le Royal Meridien

The Australian Business Group and the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi together with other

Abu Dhabi Business Groups invited members and guests to an exclusive evening with HE

Fahad Al Raqbani, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic

Development. HE Fahad Al Raqbani talked about the latest updates for the Vision 2030 and

highlighted new projects deriving from the vision.

JOINT RAMADAN IFTAR

Wednesday, 1 July 2015 – The Club

The Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi invited members and guests to join the celebration of

the Holy Month of Ramadan together with the Australian Business Group Abu Dhabi,

BeNeLux Business Council and German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce (AHK).





The evening commenced after the Athan, the call to prayer at sunset. Fasting was broken

with Arabic coffee and dates before Iftar was served; with a sprawling buffet of traditional

delights, we embraced the quintessence of the Holy Month – togetherness.

WELCOME BACK – COCKTAIL RECEPTION

Wednesday, 30 September 2015 – Swiss Residence, Saadiyat Island

The Swiss Ambassador to the UAE, HE Maya Tissafi, together with the Swiss Business Council Abu

Dhabi, had the pleasure to invite the SBC members to a Welcome Back – Cocktail Reception held

at the Swiss Residence.

With this event, we welcomed everyone back to Abu Dhabi to network, share opinions and catch-

up after the summer break.





FOOD SECURITY IN THE UAE

Sunday, 1 November 2015 – Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi

The Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi, together with the Australian and French Business Group,

invited members and guests to an evening discussion on the important topic of Food Security in the

UAE with Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, the director of Energy and Climate Change in the Foreign Ministry,

who is also the UAE Permanent Representative to the International Renewable Energy Agency

(IRENA) based in Abu Dhabi and Hon. Ken Baston MLC, the Western Australian Minister of Agriculture

and Food / Fisheries.

ABU DHABI ART – GUIDED TOUR

Saturday, 21 November 2015 – Manarat Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island

The Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi organized a guided tour through the Abu Dhabi Art, allowing

members and guests insights into the fascinating Art scene happening at the Cultural District and to

enjoy an inspiring afternoon filled with contemporary art!

Due to great demand a second tour guide had to be booked. Both groups were happy to

visit the Swiss galleries that were present at the local Art show.





JOINT BUSINESS GROUP FESTIVE NETWORKER ABU DHABI

Wednesday, 25 November 2015 – The Millennium Corniche, Biscotti restaurant

With exactly a month to go before Santa came the SBC Abu Dhabi along with other Abu Dhabi

business groups invited members and guests to an evening of Festive Networking, offering winter-

warming refreshments and merry mouthfuls from the Biscotti menu! Around 100 people attended

the joyous event, some of them in their favorite festive accessories.

FORMULA 1 COCKTAIL RECEPTION

Thursday, 26 November 2015 – Swiss Residence, Saadiyat Island

The evening before the 2015 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, the Defense Attaché

of Switzerland to the UAE, Lt Col Gabriel Lüchinger and the Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE,

HE Maya Tissafi together with the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi and around 100 guests, enjoyed

a very special evening together with the Swiss Sauber Formula 1.

SBC Honorary member and former F1 driver Mr. Marc Surer interviewed Sauber-F1 driver Mr. Marcus

Ericsson as well as Team principal Mrs. Monisha Kaltenborn and Team Manager Mr. Beat Zehnder,

giving guests interesting impressions of the exciting motorsport at the beautiful Swiss Residence.

http://www.millenniumhotels.ae/millenniumcorniche/hotel-location.html





SWISS CHRISTMAS MARKET

9 to 12 December 2015 – Beach Rotana Hotel Abu Dhabi, the courtyard

The Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of the Embassy of Switzerland in the

United Arab Emirates and in association with Nestlé, celebrated its popular annual Swiss Christmas

Market at the courtyard of the Beach Rotana hotel Abu Dhabi for the 11th time.

The Swiss Christmas Market is one of the most popular events in the Emirates during the Yuletide

season and is certainly one of the highlights in the Events Calendar of the Swiss Business Council Abu

Dhabi. The four-day-long affair ushers in the holiday spirit and offers enjoyment and entertainment

for everyone.

It brings together the local and expatriate communities in Abu Dhabi highlighting Swiss customs and

traditions and serves as a meeting point for friends and families in a jolly atmosphere. A small Swiss

Village with forty nicely adorned wooden chalets show guests a potpourri of articles, ornaments,

decorative gifts and handicraft items typical of the season, and present a selection of Swiss culinary

delicacies, collectively providing a unique Christmas shopping experience.

Visitors are welcome to savor Swiss food specialties like “Raclette”, a Swiss potato and cheese dish

and of course the traditional Swiss Fondue, a “fun-to-do” dish best enjoyed with friends.

The merry market atmosphere is enhanced by the wonderful aroma of freshly baked cookies and

other seasonal delicacies and is bound to put you in a cheerful mood, making you forget that you

are far away from your homeland at this very special time of the year.

A constant favorite among regular patrons are the Swiss chocolate treats from Lindt and its

Chocolate Kitchen. All proceeds from this Swiss Christmas Market stand were doubled by the Swiss

Business Council and donated to the Special Care Centre Abu Dhabi (SCC), a leading charity

organization. In keeping with the philosophy of the event, the SCC exhibited art drawings by the

children under their care.

True to good Swiss tradition, a musical note was added with the presence of the “Original

Appenzeller Streichmusik Alder”, one of the most famous Swiss folklore bands promoting Swiss

tradition all over the world, and local school choirs complemented this extraordinary and joyful

holiday treat with their rendition of popular and most-loved Christmas carols. Guests were most

welcome to sing along!





A novelty feature was the involvement of Dots&Links Skills Development Center and Kipina, both

in charge of the beloved Kids activities, once again all free of charge, offering story-telling, face

painting, Christmas-themed arts & crafts, “Train the brain” activities, “decorate your own

gingerbread” and an Open Air Cinema and enjoyed by numerous children of all ages.

The 11th Swiss Christmas Market was a huge success and we want to thank everyone

involved – sponsors, helpers, visitors, the wonderful vendors, the children and the choirs! We

greatly appreciate everybody’s support and believe in the importance of recurring events

like the Swiss Christmas Market. It goes without saying that we were only able to celebrate

such a memorable event due to your generous support and contribution.

This year’s sponsors who made this event possible and with their partnership assure the

continuation of the Swiss Christmas Market’s successful story are:

Official Airline Partner: Etihad Airways

Associate: Nestlé Middle East

Gold Sponsors: Orient Irrigation Service and UBS

Silver Sponsor: Lindt & Sprüngli

Bronze Sponsor: Al Masaood Automobiles, City Pharmacy, nmc Healthcare, Pilatus

Radio Partner: Radio2 – Event Partner: Beach Rotana and Abu Dhabi Mall

Kids Activity Partner: Dots&Links Skills Development Center and Kipina





SWISS CHRISTMAS BRUNCH

Saturday, 12 December 2015 – Beach Rotana Hotel Abu Dhabi, Essence

Organized by the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi and the German Emirati Joint Council for

Industry & Commerce (AHK).

Around 120 guests celebrated the Yuletide season with the magical Santa Claus Brunch! They were

entertained by the “Original Appenzeller Streichmusik Alder”, were invited to sing along to popular

Christmas carols by the Beach Rotana Choir while enjoying a Swiss and German specialties buffet.

The youngest guests waited for a very special visit and met with Samichlaus / Santa Claus from

whom they were given a gift-bag filled with Christmas goodies to enjoy.

All the adult guests had the opportunity to enter a raffle draw and win 2 Etihad Airways Business

Class flight tickets to Switzerland or Germany and the lucky winners took home some quite nice

prizes!

Kids activities were free of charge and the guests were invited to visit the Swiss Christmas

Market after the Brunch.

http://www.swissbcuae.com/events/swiss-christmas-market-4/

http://www.swissbcuae.com/events/swiss-christmas-market-4/





Outlook 2016

Please find below a provisional and non-exhaustive list of future events. The list will be

updated frequently and you will be informed of all the events well before they actually take

place by e-mail and on our website www.swissbcuae.com.

Event Date Venue

Swiss Spring Festival 15 April 2016 Lake Garden, Hilton Hotel

Swiss Christmas Market 7 – 10 December 2016 Beach Rotana Courtyard

Monthly gatherings – Business After Hours

Joint Networking Events

Support the Swiss Team at the European Football Championship

Joint Ramadan Iftar

“Welcome-Back” Cocktail Reception after the summer break

General close cooperation with the Swiss Embassy to organize joint events

Chocolate Tasting at teuscher Café, Chocolates of Switzerland with Mr. Teuscher

http://www.swissbcuae.com/





MARKETING

SBC WEBSITE

The SBC Abu Dhabi and SBC Dubai launched a new joint website in February 2015 that has

been completely redesigned and offers all the features that you had been used to, and

more. It allows for more functional and easier handling of the member database and

provides more news and information and also makes uploading of pictures of our events

possible. It has a space provided where members can publish information such as Press

Releases and other announcements and it also serves as a comprehensive directory of our

members. Each member is listed with a picture, its company logo and company profile.

Check it out regularly for news and events updates: www.swissbcuae.com.

SBC Website Advertisement space

Are you looking for online advertising space? We have a new space on our joint website for

advertisements to promote your company. A space for multiple advertisements to run at the

same time that changes every few seconds is available.

3 months will cost: AED 3’000.00

6 months will cost: AED 5’000.00

Interested parties can contact the SBC Abu Dhabi office at [email protected]

Please visit our new website www.swissbcuae.com

Please also visit our Facebook-page www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiSBC

SOCIAL MEDIA

Using social media allows us to connect and interact with our members on a more personal

level. Social networking services are helpful and convenient for organizing events, or groups

and make a wider audience aware of them.

Managing an online presence and being able to interact effectively online is becoming an

increasingly important issue and we are trying our very best to keep up with the pace. Please

visit our Facebook page for all the latest news, event invitations, impressions of past events

and everything that it going on at the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi.

www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiSBC


mailto:[email protected]


http://www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiSBC

http://www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiSBC





COOPERATION BETWEEN THE SWISS EMBASSY, SWISS BUSINESS HUB

AND SWISS BUSINESS COUNCIL DUBAI

In 2015 the new Swiss Ambassador, H.E. Maya Tissafi, arrived in Abu Dhabi and we had the

great pleasure of welcoming her to the SBC team and already had the honor to host quite a

number of events together. The SBC Abu Dhabi entertains close contact with the Swiss

Embassy and Consulate General of Switzerland and other Government offices, as well as

European organizations in Abu Dhabi. Our goal is to strengthen business and trade

relationships between the two countries and to enhance the opportunity to establish new

business and personal contacts for our members.

We appreciate the outstanding cooperation and support we enjoy from our Embassy and

our Ambassador, as well as from the Swiss Business Hub Director GCC and General Consul of

Switzerland in Dubai, H.E. Chris Watts. Our sincere thanks go also to the previous General

Consul and Business Hub Director GCC, H.E. Raymond Furrer, who left the UAE in Ocotober

and was a much appreciated and active member of our Council.

The Abu Dhabi and Dubai Business Councils hold joint Executive Committee meetings twice

a year in order to discuss possible common policies and event coordination. I would like to

thank Peter Harradine, President, and the new Executive Director, Ms. Michelle Gebert, for

the continuous contact and good collaboration between the SBC Abu Dhabi and the SBC

Dubai & Northern Emirates. I also like to take the opportunity to thank the previous Executive

Director at the SBC Dubai, Mrs. Myriam El-Rai-Phillips, for the excellent collaboration over the

years.

ADVISORY BOARD MESSAGE

The Advisory Board is pleased to witness the commitment of the Executive committee and its

Executive Director, Ms. Charoline Engel, in organizing great events, appreciated by all.

The Christmas Market was a huge success. It was very well-attended by a huge crowd and

brought a breath of freshness to Abu Dhabi city.

We are now all getting prepared for the Spring Festival that is the event-to-be in April 2016.

We thank Ms. Charoline Engel again for her continuous involvement in the Swiss Business

Council and encourage all the members to do so. The more we come together, the better

benefits we can get from the gatherings.

Maissa Fattal, Advisory Board member





ELECTION OF PRESIDENT

During the 16th Annual General Meeting (AGM), taking place on 29 March 2016, Support,

Corporate and Professional Members will (re)-elect the President in the Executive Committee

of the Swiss Business Council Abu Dhabi.

There is ONE (1) vacancy as President in the Executive Committee of the Swiss Business

Council Abu Dhabi.

For the position of President, we have received one nomination for re-election:

1. Mr. Jean-Marc Suter, Managing Director, Gonet & Cie

The quorum for the AGM shall be 20% of the General Membership of the Council present in

person or by proxy. Voting shall be by simple majority of all votes cast and proxy votes will be

permitted.

We currently count 72 members with voting rights; (social and non-resident members as well

as special offers for free membership and Honorary members do not have voting rights). This

means 14.4 votes are required for the quorum and 14 votes are needed for the president to

be elected.

activity report 2015 - swissbcuae.com · sbc activity report 2015 page 2 i 23 president’s message...

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